Napoleon (Civ5)
Napoleon Bonaparte (15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the latter stages of the French Revolution and its associated wars in Europe. In-Game Napoleon is the leader of the French in Civilization V. He speaks modern French and is seen sitting on his horse Marengo on a foggy battlefield. Concept art portrayed soldiers marching behind him. The ambient music for Napoleon also contains what sounds like construction or men setting up something. Capital: Paris Unique Unit(s): Foreign Legion (vanilla and ), Musketeer Unique Improvement: Chateau ( ) Unique Ability: Ancien Régime (vanilla and ), City of Light ( ) Voice Actor: Grégoire Gobbi AI Traits Personality and Behavior Napoleon tends to go for a cultural victory. Given Napoleon's military prowess, the French will have a good offensive army. On the other hand, they do not fare well in defensive combats. Napoleon will try to expand his empire as fast as he can in the early stages. His main emphasis, however, is obviously culture. Napoleon is not particularly hostile, but it is very difficult to make friends with him, as he tends to declare war on every civilization or city-state he meets. He is one of the leaders least likely to be afraid, as well as one of the boldest and most competitive ones. Quite surprisingly, he is very willing to forgive and almost never denounces anyone. Players who are neighbors of France should be on high alert for Napoleon, as he will declare war if he finds them weak. However, they can actually get along well with Napoleon if he sees them as warmongers. Just beware of his deceptiveness, because like many militaristic leaders, he's willing to backstab his allies if he considers them unworthy. Civilopedia Entry History It is virtually impossible to overstate the military genius of Napoleon Bonaparte. Early Life Napoleon Bonaparte was born on the island of Corsica, where he entered a military academy at the age of ten. In school he displayed a great aptitude for mathematics, history, and geography, as well as a total indifference to literature and the humanities. At fourteen he was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in an artillery regiment. When the French revolution broke out, Napoleon sided with the Revolutionaries and was appointed lieutenant-colonel of artillery, where he quickly made a name for himself as a successful commander. Rise to Power Early on Napoleon displayed both his military brilliance and his ability to navigate the perilous political landscape of Revolutionary France, where one false step could cost you your head - literally. By 1794 he was a brigadier-general, and by 1795 he was appointed command of the French Army of the Interior. He was 25 years of age. Over the next few years Napoleon led French armies to major victories over various continental foes, including the extremely powerful Austrians. Capitalizing on his success and his growing popularity with the citizens and the army, in 1799 he overthrew the government and appointed himself "First Consul." Five years later he would crown himself "Emperor and Consul for Life," displaying his fine contempt for the democratic roots of the Revolution that brought him to power. Vive l'Empereur! An exceptional administrator, Napoleon rapidly reorganized the government, repealed the more radical and violent laws of the Revolution, and reopened the churches, cementing his popularity with the people of France. However, France was still at war with most of Europe, and Napoleon once again took to the battlefields, where he won stunning victories against Austria, causing that country and England to make peace. England remained nervous of France's imperial intentions, and war resumed in 1803. Napoleon found himself facing a daunting alliance that included England, Austria, Russia and Sweden. Acting with amazing speed and cunning, Napoleon used his "interior lines" to concentrate his forces against the dispersed enemy. He rapidly marched across Europe, capturing the capital of Austria and then crushing the Russian forces at the battle of Austerlitz. Austria sued for peace once again. For several years Napoleon would defeat every foe that came against him. He crushed the Prussians, the Spanish, and the Austrians yet again. However, Russia and England remained undefeated. The Russian Campaign Eventually Napoleon decided that he would never be safe in Europe as long as Russia, aided by the perfidious English, was on his flank. With England secure behind the Channel and its superb navy, he had little choice but to attack Russia, the only foe in the alliance his armies could reach. In 1812 he led half a million men to attack Moscow. The Russian forces retreated before his advance, taking or burning anything that might be of use to the invaders, while in the rear Cossack raiders destroyed Napoleon's supply lines. Bonaparte did reach and capture Moscow, but once again the Russians had removed or burnt anything there that might feed his men, and he was forced to retreat, fighting the Russian troops and the even more deadly Russian winter mile after bitter mile. By the end of the campaign Napoleon had lost 96% of his army. Napoleon's Fall Upon returning to Paris, Napoleon immediately recruited another army of 350,000, but his image of invulnerability was gone, and all Europe rose against him. Prussia, Russia and Austria allied against him, and England threw more troops into contested Spain. Though Napoleon was to again win famous victories, his enemies continued their relentless attacks. Eventually the allies drove their way into Paris, and Napoleon abdicated. For his trouble he was given rulership of the island of Elba, along with an income of six million francs, to be paid by France. Later he would return to France and try to regain power one last time, but he was finally and irrevocably defeated by an English and Prussian army at Waterloo in Belgium. This time he was confined for life at the island of Sainte-Helene, a thousand miles from the coast of Africa. He died there in 1821. Verdict of History Napoleon was one of the most brilliant generals of all time. He moved his troops with astounding rapidity, and he always knew exactly where to strike in order to cause the most damage. Domestically he turned out to be a decent, imaginative ruler and France flourished under his control (until his endless wars sapped her strength and will to fight). An Army general to his core, he never was able to create a navy able to seriously challenge England's dominance over the oceans. In the end, he just couldn't beat everybody. Trivia *Napoleon's rules of law for France – the so-called "Napoleonic Code" − represented a major advancement in legal reform and have influenced the legal systems of countries across the globe. Some historians have argued that these laws have had a greater effect on world history than all of Napoleon's military victories. *Napoleon wasn't very short; he was actually a bit taller that an average Frenchman at that time. The reason why people think he was short is because it is a leftover nickname from his early soldiering days, when he was known as "The Little Corporal," and because his enemies (foremost the British) caricatured him as being short. *The "Ancien Régime" ability is a reference to the real life Napoleon's comment that steam powered ships would not catch on. Lines In these comments, Napoleon exclusively uses the informal tu form for the second person pronoun. After the French Revolution, the informal form was indeed preferred to the more formal vous form (which a real, modern French head of state would most likely use when speaking with another world leader) in order to emphasize the "equality of citizens." Attacked: You've fallen into my trap. I'll bury you. (Tu es tombé dans mon piège. Je vais t'enterrer.) Declares War: You're disturbing us, prepare for war. (Tu nous déranges, prépare-toi à la guerre.) Defeated 01: I congratulate you for your victory. (Je te félicite pour ta victoire.) Defeated 02: I've fought... Do what you will with me. (Je me suis battu... Fais ce que tu veux de moi.) Demand: This is what France demands, your survival depends on your answer. (Voici ce qu'exige la France, ta survie dépend de ta réponse.) Never used in-game. Gloat: I hope you've learned your lesson; I'm invincible. (J'espère que tu as appris ta leçon; je suis invincible.) Never used in-game. Hate Hello: It's you. (C'est-toi.) Hate Let's Hear It 01: Speak. (Parle.) Hate No 01: Certainly not. (Certainement pas.) Hate No 02: That's unacceptable. (C'est inacceptable.) Hate No 03: You cannot be serious. (Ce n'est pas sérieux.) Hate Yes 01: All right. (D'accord.) Hate Yes 02: I guess I've no choice. (J'imagine que je n'ai pas le choix.) Hate Yes 03: Certainly. (Certainement.) Hate Yes 04: It's all right. (C'est d'accord.) Hate Yes 05: Excellent. (Excellent.) Intro: Welcome. I'm Napoleon, of France; the smartest military man in world history. (Bienvenue. Je suis Napoléon, de France; le militaire le plus intelligent de l'histoire mondiale.) Neutral Hello: Hello. (Bonjour.) Neutral Let's Hear It 01: Continue. (Continue.) Neutral Let's Hear It 02: I'm listening. (J'écoute.) Neutral Let's Hear It 03: Go on. (Vas-y.) Neutral Let's Hear It 04: You were saying? (Tu disais?) Neutral No 01: We refuse. (Nous refusons.) Neutral No 02: Of course not. (Bien sûr que non.) Neutral No 03: No. (Non.) Neutral Yes 01: Excellent. (Excellent.) OR Very well. (Très bien.) Two sound files with different names are present for this line. Neutral Yes 02: Very well. (Très bien.) Neutral Yes 03: I heard. (Entendu.) Peaceful: It seems I underestimated you. I won't make the same mistake again, I promise you. (Il semblerait que je t'aie sous-estimé. Je ne referai pas cette erreur, je te le promets.) Request: France offers you this exceptional proposition. (La France t'offre cette proposition exceptionelle.) Intro Long life and triumph to you, First Consul and Emperor of France, Napoleon I, ruler of the French people. France lies at the heart of Europe. Long has Paris been the world center of culture, arts and letters. Although surrounded by competitors - and often enemies - France has endured as a great nation. Its armies have marched triumphantly into battle from one end of the world to the other, its soldiers and generals among the best in history. Napoleon Bonaparte, France yearns for you to rebuild your empire, to lead her once more to glory and greatness, to make France once more the epicenter of culture and refinement. Emperor, will you ride once more against your foes? Can you build a civilization that will stand the test of time? Gallery File:200px-Napoleon in His Study.jpg|Napoleon in his study, 1812 Category:French